Because of Her
by RobertDowneyJrLove
Summary: His birthday had been happy, indeed. Because of her. Reid/Prentiss. What can I say? I'm a shipper.


_"Happy Birthday, Reid!" _

The sentiment echoed in the depths of his subconscious, bringing to his attention, the sufficient lack of birthdays he had actually celebrated as a child. There hadn't been any birthday parties with balloons, streamers and a cake. His mother had always been verging just on the edge of paranoia and because his father wasn't around enough to actually care about his son - or wife for that matter - Spencer Reid could not remember a single birthday being celebrated with glee in the Reid household. Or, perhaps, he had plenty of normal birthdays but because of his father leaving and his mother being paranoid, he had simply hidden the memories behind an IQ of one hundred and eighty seven.

He could never be sure.

Sure, there had been the few birthdays that he celebrated with the Behavioral Analysis Unit but after a while, cases would get in the way. He was used to his birthday rolling around and nobody pretending to have remembered that he was another year older. That's why, when his thirtieth birthday rolled around, he wasn't upset or hurt when a case came up. He was thankful. It meant that he wouldn't have to face the fact that so few of his birthdays had actually been celebrated properly. He doesn't like to dwell on it. The sooner the day was over and done with, the sooner he could move on with his life and forget the fact that he was another year older.

"Something on your mind, Doctor Reid?" Emily's soft voice broke through his reverie and he looked down to find her standing beside him, holding a paper plate with a half-eaten slice of chocolate cake.

"I can't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday like this." Spencer told her honestly, but the usual blunt force of his statement was missing. "I haven't celebrated my birthday with the team since I turned twenty-four."

"What about as a kid?" Emily asked him, setting her plate down on the table.

"My mother...she was always just on the edge of paranoia...that combined with schizophrenia.." His voice trailed off into nothing - but he didn't need to go on, she understood. His eyes shot to the floor and his weight shifted. Subtle, but no less revealing to a profiler. Especially when said profiler was an astute observer of the behavior of one Doctor Spencer Reid. He felt vulnerable, exposed. His broken sentences spoke of how hesitant he was to open up about his childhood.

"You don't have to tell me, Spencer." Emily informed him softly, setting the paper plate in her hand on the table. "Not if you don't feel comfortable."

"Have I uh...have I said thank you for this?" Spencer changed the subject quickly. "Because I should have."

"No need," Emily shook her head, reaching over to squeeze his arm. "It's not necessary."

He pulled his arm out of her grip and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her closer to him in a side hug because the team was still around them and he's not quite ready to show them the more personal side of his relationship with the raven haired beauty who had pulled this together for him.

"Reid, what you do for this team...it can't be replaced." Emily whispered into his ear, pressing a gentle hand into his shoulder blade. "Don't you ever think you're easily replaced, you aren't."

She slipped away from him just as he opened his mouth to respond. His mouth closed and turned back to his friends, intent upon enjoying his birthday. Emily's words lingered in his mind; the soft nuance of something he couldn't quite place in her voice. The soft, reverent way with which she had spoken them. It had been refreshingly genuine and honest. Try though they may, his team could only go so far with their reassurances that he was needed on the team. They never seemed quite as real as the words Emily had just whispered to him.

"You okay, Spence?" J.J.'s voice brought him out of his musings.

"Yeah." He nodded, averting his eyes from the raven-haired beauty, he just realized that he had been staring at for the last few minutes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit in shock."

J.J. laughed and followed his gaze straight to Emily, who he had inadvertently reverted his gaze back too. She looked up at him and then back at Emily; "She did this, you know. Put all of this together."

"I have no doubt." Spencer nodded, looking down at J.J.

"Spence, if you think we haven't seen it, then you're crazy." J.J. laughed, looking up into the soft brown eyes of the resident genius. "We've all seen it. We just figure you'll tell us when you're ready."

Spencer could only offer her a sheepish smile, heat flushing his cheeks a light pink. He was unable to deny the fact that his relationship with Emily went far beyond close friends. Before everything that had gone down with Ian Doyle, Emily Prentiss had been nothing short of his best friend. She was the only one who knew about his headaches. She was the only one who knew, aside from Morgan, about his fear of the onset of schizophrenia, even though he was well out of the age range. When she had come out of hiding, it had been difficult and awkward but eventually they had been able to pick up right where they left off. It hadn't been easy, confiding in the woman who had abandoned him - at least in his mind - but she was there and just so Emily and that's all he had needed. He had just needed Emily. He didn't need the strong, tough Agent Prentiss. He didn't need the maternal, caring side of Emily. He had just needed his best friend; the Emily who was so willing to listen and offer her advice.

"She's my...my best friend." Spencer admitted quietly, "No offense, J.J."

"It's alright, Spence. I knew long before you did that Emily Prentiss was something special to you." J.J. told him reassuringly, even if his words had stung a little. She nudged him slightly and motioned to Emily. "Go get her, lover boy."

"You sound like Morgan." Spencer teased the blonde woman, who just pushed him. "I'm going, I'm going."

She was deep into a conversation with Garcia when he slipped up behind her and made a point of kissing her head. He just smiled when Emily looked up at him, curiosity in her dark eyes. His smile seemed to satisfy Emily's curiosity but it only added to the ever-growing curiosity of the blonde, about to explode beside them. A silent conversation passed between them and without a word, Spencer's arm slipped around Emily's waist and she tucked herself into his side. It seemed only natural that she would fit there perfectly.

"You two? Seriously?" Garcia sputtered in shock, pointing between them.

Spencer just nodded, feeling quite sheepish for keeping it a secret from the woman that was like a sister to him. He found himself unprepared for the hurricane of blonde hair and bright color that launched at him and Emily, hugging them tightly.

"Awww! Our little brother is all grown up!" Garcia gushed happily, "Emily, I can't believe this."

"I couldn't believe it either, Garcia." Emily shook her head in disbelief, still in shock that she was actually in a relationship with Reid of all people. "It just kind of...happened."

"This is great!"

"What's great?" Morgan turned toward Garcia curiously.

"Look!"

Garcia's squeals of excitement drew the attention of the whole team. Spencer just blushed and tried not to make a deal out of all the attention. None of them even bothered pretending to be surprised by the news of Emily and Spencer's relationship. It seemed as if they had all embraced the change. They couldn't fight it and they certainly couldn't change it, so they had just chosen to embrace it and let the relationship happen without fuss. That wasn't to say that they weren't going to watch with fascinated excitement every time Spencer and Emily seemed to disappear into their own little world. It would just seem a bit less out of place to do so now.

"Happy Birthday, Doctor Reid." Emily whispered into his ear one more time before they were lost in a storm of hugs and congratulatory sentiments.

And as he was embraced and congratulated by his team, he could truly think of one thing.

His birthday had been a happy one, indeed.

Because of her.

* * *

**This is a story I started after episode eleven of season seven, _True Genius _aired. It was one of my favorite episodes and really showed Reid's true intelligence as well as his openness with Emily. The scene in the diner or wherever when they're talking about expectations and how he thought he would cure schizophrenia by the time he was thirty both broke my heart a little and solidified me as a Spencer/Emily shipper. It broke my heart to know that Reid loves his mother enough to not set such a high goal for himself but also feel disappointed when he didn't reach it. It was easily one of the best scenes with Reid - aside from the baseball scene this season - and continues to be one of my favorites. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this! **

**Love ya, **

**RobertDowneyJrLove**


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